


One Too Many

by GuileandGall



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect - Various Authors, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Drinking, Drunk Kisses, Drunk confessions, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Spectre Requisitions Rare Pair Exchange 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23076919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuileandGall/pseuds/GuileandGall
Summary: Stress can do a number on people, even those carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. Ashley Williams is a dedicated soldier, and one night she goes a little too far, in more ways than one.
Relationships: James Vega/Ashley Williams
Comments: 12
Kudos: 12
Collections: Spectre Requisitions 2020





	One Too Many

**Author's Note:**

  * For [annamwrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/annamwrites/gifts).



> For annamwrites, I hope that you enjoy this soft little moment between Ashley Williams and James Vega. It was so fun to write something sweet and fluffy.

The pulse of the music pounded through the bodies packing the club on the Citadel. After Cerberus’ assault on the space station and attempted attack on the Council, the citizens finally seemed to notice that the Reaper invasion was real and the galaxy was under attack. Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams could not fault them for their obfuscation of what was happening beyond their seemingly safe home. If she were a civilian, she might prefer burying her head in the sand as well. She did not have that luxury; she was a soldier, and more than that she’d been neck deep in this entire mess from the get go.

In those rare moments of downtime, Ashley let go. Maybe a little too much.

“Commander?” a low voice said near her ear.

Ashley’s head perked up and she gave Lieutenant Vega a wide grin. “We’ve talked about that.”

“You and Loca,” he chided.

Shepard lectured her about referring to her by her rank despite the reinstatement, too. In Ashley’s case, she just didn’t want the reminder of her responsibility right there and then, not with half a drink left and hazy head.

“Thought you said you were headed out?” she asked.

“I did.”

“Then why are you back? Did you miss me?” she asked, leaning her shoulder against his and batting her eyelashes at him.

James chuckled and gave her that sexy grin. “You know it, Ash.”

She laughed as well. “You’re so full of shit.” She lifted her glass and took a healthy swallow.

“How ‘bout we get you back to the _Normandy_?”

Ash tipped her head, considering it. “Why not?” She polished off the rest of her cocktail and nearly dropped the glass on the bar. James helped her steady it before it could crash against the shiny surface.

James stood and shifted to her other side. When she hopped off her seat, it was his arm that kept her upright.

“Whoa,” she said, grabbing hold of his thick bicep when the world tipped sideways on her.

“I gotcha,” he assured her.

His arm looped around her waist, and she draped hers over his shoulder. He held her tight against him and she leaned into it. There was a comfort there she could not define, or maybe she merely refused to give it any kind of name.

The two of them moved in an awkward dance toward the exit. Once outside the club the music all but vanished and dashed them into virtual silence. There were people milling around, and Ashley assumed there was likely talking, but she didn’t notice it. Her ears felt numb to sound after the music in the club.

“You know L-T, you’re a stand up guy,” Ashley slurred between steps. Despite her swimming head and the spinning world her course remained true, mainly due to the thickly muscled man on her right. His free hand reached up and took her hand to better secure the Alliance officer from possibly wavering or veering off into a poorly placed column or a wall with questionable motives.

“Thanks, Ash,” he said in a low tone as the lift chimed. “Come on. Gotta get you back to the ship.”

“Oh, yeah?” She leaned against the corner of the lift, where he placed her.

“Yeah. Pretty sure Shepard would kick my ass up one side of the Citadel and down the other if I didn’t,” he explained as he tapped the button.

Once he was leaning against the glass next to her, she shifted toward him. “The question is … what are you going to do with me once you get me back there?” Her fingers walked up his chest, shifting toward his sternum when he turned toward her.

“Look,” he started to say.

Her gaze flicked upwards from the movement of her hand to his face and he went silent. There was an intensity in his gaze, a hint of flame that lingered there. Ashley wanted to grab it. A woman of action, she dove for it, her lips crashed against his as her hand fisted in his t-shirt to pull him even closer when she swayed toward him.

Maybe he’d wanted to feel the fire as well, because one thick arm circled her waist and pulled her body flush against his. Another hand slipped behind her neck, cradling her head at the perfect angle so that when she sighed into his mouth his tongue rushed in against hers.

There was no scorching, just that kind of tempering heat that melted resolve and fused mettle.

 _“Now approaching Alliance Docking Bay_ ,” an automated voice announced.

The frenzy of that first kiss didn’t die, like a light being flicked off. No, that kiss was more like sunset. That bright flash of light when the star hits the horizon, then the light creeps away in inches. That’s how Ashley and James parted, deep slow strokes of tongues, a teasing nibble on a lip, that culminated in soft lingering pecks that brought their foreheads together so that when their eyes opened once more, they were each the only thing the other could see.

Her balance faltered, when the elevator came to a stop, or maybe it had happened when his grip on her eased. It was easier to blame it on the machinery. Either way, his embrace tightened momentarily with her little backward stumble.

Neither of them said a word for the rest of the walk back to the _Normandy_. Nor did they exchange more than pleasantries when he dropped her off at her quarters.

“Thanks, Lieu—James.” It hadn’t felt right using his rank. She knew deep down she wasn’t just talking about the escort from the bar.

“Anytime,” he replied with that boyish smirk of his.

A part of her she wouldn’t name wondered if that was true of every aspect of that endeavor. The pound in her head, pulled her away from the door and ceased her staring after him. She tripped over something scattered on her floor and caught herself on her bunk. With a bit of effort, Ashley tugged herself more fully onto the bed and just laid there on her belly. Sleep blissfully carried her off on a hazy cloud of numbing darkness into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

**_… The Next Morning_ **

Waking up draped over her bunk, with her head hanging off one side, Ashley groaned. Her mouth felt like swallowed half of Tuchanka, and as she sat up, a thresher maw roiled through her gut. There was a tall bottle of water and a still steaming cup of coffee sitting on her night table. Her eyes darted around the room as if the culprit was hiding in the shadows. Of course, if it was Kasumi, Williams realized she probably wouldn’t know anyway.

Sitting up, she went for the water first, twisting off the cap, she brought it to her lips. She just held it there, gasping breaths between deep swallows. The only sounds in the rooms were her gulps. Placing the empty bottle back on the nightstand, she leaned on the edge of the bed, with her eyes closed, trying to work up the balance to wander to the bathroom.

She stripped off her shirt and kicked off her boots before braving gravity at all. Pulling open the drawer, she took out a pair of sweatpants, t-shirt, and under clothes, placing them on the bed next to her.

Testing the waters, Ashley grabbed the cup of coffee. She held it under her nose and inhaled the aroma before taking a sip.

“Ugh,” she groaned. _Mistake_ , she judged and stretched to set it back on the table. “Might as well get it over with,” she told herself with a sigh, she grabbed her clothes and her toiletry kit and stumbled to the door. A shower would make her feel better, though only time would solve her queasiness.

The door opened to a light so bright it was an assault on her senses. Her head pounded and the world reeled beneath her feet.

“Whoa, there.” Strong hands caught her before gravity yanked her to the floor.

“Morning, L-T.” Of course, it would be him.

Blinking up at him, her eyes slowly got used to the light and the halo that seemed to surround his head eventually faded.

“Good morning,” he replied, still holding onto her as she struggled for her balance. “You’re still feeling it, aren’t you?” The question was quiet, and without insinuation, which she appreciated.

“Little bit.”

“Maybe you should take it easy.”

“Yeah,” she agreed.

She didn’t even have to ask him to walk with her back to her quarters. He didn’t release her until she had folded her legs up under her on the chair.

When he crouched near the chair, she knew he wasn’t just in the right place at the right time.

“What’s up, James?”

He pressed his lips together and leaned his elbows on his knees. “Listen. I … uh. I’m sorry about last night.”

Ashley’s hazy feeling faded darker. “I’m not.”

“You were …” he started then his deep eyes flashed up toward her. “You’re not?”

Williams shook her head. There was no reason to keep it to herself any longer; after all, she’d gone for it and kissed him. And he had kissed her back, at least she hoped that wasn’t a drunken illusion of what actually happened. “No. Though I do wish I hadn’t been drunk.”

“Me, too,” he agreed.

“Could I get a do-over?”

James’ grin spread across his face and lit his eyes. “Like I said last night. Anytime.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“So will I,” he agreed. Finally, James got to his feet again. His fingers brushed over the back of her hand. “Feel better.”

“I will.”

He inched toward the door, not in a rush at all.

“Hey,” she said, “were you the one that brought me the water and the coffee?”

He grinned again. “Yeah. I mean I’ve been there. Thought it might help.”

“It did.”

“I’ll bring you some more water,” he told her.

“Thanks, James.”

“You’re welcome, Ash.”

When the door closed again, Ashley laid her head back against the wall. A gentle warmth radiated in her chest, like it had last night when she’d finally kissed him. “Should have done that months ago,” she told herself as she smiled up at the ceiling.


End file.
